---
title: LM Studio
---

# Terminal

By default, Open Interpreter's terminal interface uses [LM Studio](https://lmstudio.ai/) to connect to local language models.

Simply run `interpreter` in local mode from the command line:

```shell
interpreter --local
```

**You will need to run LM Studio in the background.**

1. Download [https://lmstudio.ai/](https://lmstudio.ai/) then start it.
2. Select a model then click **↓ Download**.
3. Click the **↔️** button on the left (below 💬).
4. Select your model at the top, then click **Start Server**.

Once the server is running, you can begin your conversation with Open Interpreter.

(When you run the command `interpreter --local`, the steps above will be displayed.)

<Info>Local mode sets your `context_window` to 3000, and your `max_tokens` to 1000. If your model has different requirements, [set these parameters manually.](/language-model-setup/local-models/settings)</Info>

# Python

Compared to the terminal interface, our Python package gives you more granular control over each setting.

You can point `interpreter.llm.api_base` at any OpenAI compatible server (including one running locally).

For example, to replicate [`--local` mode](/language-model-setup/local-models/overview) and connect to [LM Studio](https://lmstudio.ai/), use these settings:

```python
from interpreter import interpreter

interpreter.offline = True # Disables online features like Open Procedures
interpreter.llm.model = "openai/x" # Tells OI to send messages in OpenAI's format
interpreter.llm.api_key = "fake_key" # LiteLLM, which we use to talk to LM Studio, requires this
interpreter.llm.api_base = "http://localhost:1234/v1" # Point this at any OpenAI compatible server

interpreter.chat()
```

Simply ensure that **LM Studio**, or any other OpenAI compatible server, is running at `api_base`.